Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the Union Budget 2026–27 in the Lok Sabha, describing it as an “underwhelming” and a “squandered opportunity” that prioritises headlines over delivery, fiscal prudence over fairness and announcements over outcomes.Participating in the general discussion on the Budget, Tharoor said the document muted the “loud horn” of last year’s Budget but failed to address underlying economic problems, likening it to “rearranging the airbags on a crashing car while assuring passengers that the chassis is sturdy”.Tharoor cited media reports to argue that governance under the Centre had become “headline management”, pointing to chronic underutilisation of funds. Of over Rs 5 lakh crore budgeted last year for 53 major welfare and infrastructure schemes, barely 41 per cent was spent in the first nine months, he said. Flagship schemes such as Jal Jeevan Mission, PM Schools for Rising India and the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jati Abhyuday Yojana recorded “astonishingly low” utilisation, he added.On the macroeconomic front, Tharoor said fiscal consolidation since the pandemic had largely been achieved through expenditure compression rather than revenue reform. He warned that the tax burden had steadily shifted from corporations to individuals, noting that personal income tax now accounted for a larger share of GDP than corporate tax despite strong post-pandemic profit growth.Turning to agriculture, Tharoor said the sector, which supports over 60 per cent of India’s population, had been allocated just 3 per cent of the Union Budget, Rs 1.62 lakh crore, marking a reduction from last year. He flagged climate change, drought risk and farm distress, and alleged that schemes such as the PM Fasal Bima Yojana had failed farmers, with compensation reduced to “token amounts”.On employment, the Congress leader said both rural and urban joblessness remained a concern, with urban unemployment rising to 6.7 per cent by December 2025. Flagship skilling and internship schemes, he said, suffered from poor placement outcomes and low fund utilisation, while the Budget remained silent on gig workers’ welfare.He also accused the Centre of neglecting Kerala across sectors, including railways, ports, healthcare and higher education. Tharoor flagged underinvestment in railway capacity and staffing, lack of support for Vizhinjam port connectivity, absence of coastal protection funding, and delays in aviation projects under the UDAN scheme.On social sectors, he said education spending remained far below the promised 6 per cent of GDP, with thousands of schools lacking basic infrastructure. Public health expenditure, he added, remained below 2 per cent of GDP, with gaps in Ayushman Bharat coverage and no clarity on a long-promised AIIMS in Kerala.Raising concerns over inequality, Tharoor said the middle class was being squeezed by rising EMIs, credit card debt and a growing tax burden, while relief measures such as housing support found no mention in the Budget.He also questioned the government’s infrastructure-led growth strategy, arguing that high capital expenditure had failed to crowd in private investment or generate sufficient employment, while demand remained weak and welfare spending compressed.